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“What are you thinking?” Laurel asked him.
“Are you ever going to tell me what your ex did to you?”
“You know what he did. He deserted us, leaving me with two kids and a mountain of debt. Then as soon as the divorce was final he disappeared so he wouldn’t have to pay child support.”
“Yeah, I know all that. But there’s more to it, isn’t there, Laurel?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“No, I don’t think so. But I can’t make you tell me. Just know I’m here to listen if you want to talk.”
“How did we go from talking about my twin pregnancy to talking about my ex-husband? If I had to pick I’d rather talk about pregnancy.”
“I know we said we wouldn’t talk about marriage but twins puts a whole new complexion on things.”
“No, it doesn’t. We’re not getting married.”
Damn, she was exasperating. “Will you at least think about it?”
“Fine. I’ll think about it.”
Maybe. But he’d bet anything she wouldn’t change her mind.
*
The next day,Laurel was still in shock. Pregnant with twins. Identical twins. Her third pregnancy. And considering her lack of height, she’d probably start showing before the first trimester was up. Oh, yay.
But…babies. Two of them. Laurel loved babies. She’d loved it when her children were babies. Sweet and snuggly. So even though she was shocked and scared and didn’t know what to do, a part of her, a crazy part, was happy.
At any rate, she would have to tell the family sooner or later so it might as well be sooner. She’d called her parents the day before, when she heard the news about having twins. She asked them not to tell her brothers, said that she would take care of that.
Her dad had asked her if she was all right and if he needed to get out his shotgun, which she assumed was a reference to making sure Zack married her. She didn’t bother explaining to him that she was the reason they weren’t getting married. But she told her mom.
“Let me get this straight,” Clara Sullivan said. “You’re pregnant. You’re having twins. Zack, who is the father of your babies, asked you to marry him. And you said no.”
“That’s right.”
“Do you love him?”
She could admit it to her mother. This, anyway. “Yes.”
“Does he love you?”
“He says he does but he didn’t tell me that until he found out I was pregnant. I’m not marrying him simply because I’m pregnant.”
“Then how about marrying him because you love each other?”
“I just told you—”
“Laurel, I’ve known Zack since he was a little boy. He doesn’t lie. If he says he loves you, then he does.”
“You don’t understand. It’s taken me so long to be independent, to not need anyone to take care of me or my kids. I can’t just give up and lay it all on Zack. It wouldn’t be fair. Children deserve parents who love them. Parents who want them.”
“Do you want these babies?”
“Yes.” Even considering all the problems, she still wanted them.
“And Zack does too, right?”
